Liquid dispensing system



3 Sheets-Sheet l liar/e4- BY I c. D. FAGAN LIQUID DISPENSING SYSTEM Ill Filed Dec. 13, 1932 .sw/rm P/Pi Nov. 5, 1935.

PPZ-SSURFA m SMIIY mam-T ATTORNEYS Nov; 5, 1935. c. D. FIAGAN 2,020,112

LIQUID DISPENSING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 13, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 M A TORNEYS- Nov. 5, 1935.

c. D. FAGAN LIQUID DISPENSING SYSTEM Filed Dec; 13, 1932 IIIIIIIIIIII/l/IIIIIIIIIJ 3 SheetsSheet 3 @Z JW [%arlew i z g alz ATTORNEYS Patented Nev. 5,1935

I mourn .nrsrnnsnvo srs'rmr' Charles D. Pagan, Sharon, Pa., aslgnor Sh rplvflle Boiler Works 00., Sharpsville, Pm,

- a corporation of Pennsylvania Application 'n eember 13,1932, Serial No. 646,989

This invention relates to liquid dispensing systems of the type ordinarily'used for dispensing asoline to motorists. f

In systems of this sort, the liquid is usually 5 pumped from an underground storage tank and delivered to the consumer through a flexible dispensing conduit; In one type of system, the dispensing conduit is provided with a valve adjacent its end; and the conduit is kept full of gaso line at all times, being dispensed only when the valve is open. In such systems, the operator.

usually starts the pump manually before taking the conduit or hose from the rack; and the pump runs continuously until it is again-manually shut off, However, gasoline is delivered only when the dispensing valve at the end of the conduit is" open. During the time intervals when the dis pensing valve is closed, the pump circulates the liquid through a by-pass which is provided to '20 prevent the building up of excessive pressure.

- 30 keep the conduit full of liquid. These foot-valves are not readily accessible for inspection or re-- pair, and'hence it not infrequently happens that the foot-valve will become leaky. with a leaky foot-valve, the suction conduit drains while the 85 pump is standing idle, with the result that on the next starting of the pump, the air has to be pumped out of the suction conduit and this air may be metered as gasoline delivered to the motorist. In other instances, the pumping of air 40 which results in short measure to the motorist is occasioned by air leaking into the suctionconduit at some point between the supply tank and the pump. 4 that air is being pumped, he will not know 45 whether it is due to a leaky suction line or a leaky the trouble.

An object of the present invention is taprovide for eiiective elimination of air drawn to the to pump, without metering it and thus giving the consumer short measure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a liquid dispensing system which automatically of liquid dispensing systems.

Thus, even if the operator discovers foot-valve, and will not know" where to look for 4 cream. (01. 221-95) the source of the defect which leads to the presence of air.

Another object of the invention is to simplify and improve the operation and/orconstruction Fig. I is a perspective view showing the essential parts and arrangement of an illustrative system embodying the present invention.

Fig. IIis a plan view, partially in section, showing an illustrative air separator unit.

Fig. 111 is a vertical longitudinal section through the-air separator unit, taken approxi mately on line III-III of Fig. II.

Fig. IV is a vertical cross section of the air separator unit, taken approximately on line ll IV--IV of Fig. II.

Fig. V is an elevation, partially in section, looking from the liquid discharge end of the air separator unit. I

Fig. VI is a detail of the air separator unit taken approximately on line VIVI of Fig. III. Fig. VII is a horizontal sectional detailview, taken approximately on the line VII-VII of Fig. VI.

Fig. VIII is a vertical section showing a valve which is interposed between the air separator unit and the meter.

Reference will now be had to Fig. I of the drawings. A frame comprises four angle iron standards I (three-shown), to which are secured a base member (not shown), a cast head member 2, and various intermediate iron cross pieces 3.. Bolted or screwed. to the cross pieces -3 and/or the standards I is an air separator unit designated as a whole by I. The lower part of the separator unit 4 is provided with a depending portion 6 on one side of which there is bolted to the separator unit an electric motor- I, and on the other side of which there is bolted to thesepapump or the pump shown in the application of Fagan & Swank, Serial No. 559,382, filed August 26, 1931. The pump 8 is connected to be driven by the motor 1 through any suitable means such as a belt or chain 9. Also secured to the air separator l is anautomatic safety switch unit In, which controls the motor I. Gasoline is drawn from a supply tank through suction conduit II to pump 8, which forces it through the air separator unit 4 and thence throughivalve I! (described later), strainer l3,

meter M, flow indicator l6, and dispensing conduit II. A pressure switch pipe IL-a connects the outlet conduit llb with the pressure opshown in the application of Fagan' 8: Swank,

10 Serial No. 541,628, filed June 2, 1931, or of the type shown in the application of Fagan, Serial No. 636,120, filed October 4, 1932.

At the end of the conduit ll, there is anormally closed dispensing valve l8 of known type 15 adapted to be opened by. grasping the lever 13.

The lever I9 is within a guard 28; and both the,

matically start and stop the motor 1 in response.

to opening and closing of the dispensing valve I8; and thus the motor I and pump 8 run only when gasoline is being dispensed. To prevent accidental starting of the motor, the switch unit I8 is normally disabled through safety connection 23 from pivot hook 2]. When the nozzle is hung in the position shown in Fig. I, the movement of rod 23 actuates a series switch (preferably double pole) which opens the line; or in the alternative, rod 23 may disable switch ID as shown in the ap plication of Fagan et 9.1., Serial No. 462,478, filed June 20, 1930. The operator having removed the nozzle from the hook 2|, manually raises hook 2|, 0 thus removing the safety and permitting the switch Ill to start the motor when dispensing valve I8 is opened. When the dispensing valve is closed, switch Ill automatically stops the motor I; and the safety is restored when the nozzle is hung in place upon the hook 2|.

Reference will now be had to Figs-II to VII of the drawings. The air separator unit 4 comprises a casing, designated as a whole by 30, within which there are partitions or bames 3| and 32 sub-dividing space within the casing into a series of communicating compartments 33, 34, and 35. The structure may be cast; and various threaded recesses 36 are provided for the purpose 55 of permitting the motor I and the pump 8 to be bolted into place and also for the purpose of permitting, the entire unit to be bolted or screwed to the supporting frame shownin Fig. I. To facilitate the molding operation, there are various 60 apertures which, when the castingis completed, are closed with suitable plugs 31. These plugs e159 serve for draining and giving access to vari- PQItiQI1S of the interior. At the tops of the chambers 33, 34, and 35, there are removable 65 apertures plugs 33, 34, and 35' to permit the escape of air. To permit access to the air escape'e'plu'gs and removal and replacement of the samegrlthere is provided on the top shell of the casing 1'. corresponding removable plugs, two of 70, which are shown at 33 and 35 The airescape plugs-lead tohorizontal passageways 33, 34, and

35, all of which lead to a collection chamber 38.

-. beneath chamber 33 is a hollow ele-- 'ment 8 divided by a horizontal partition 48 into two sections 4| and 42. Suitable screens 4I-a ber"381through conduit h.

and 42-'- a are provided in the path of liquid flow. Section 4| communicates through port 45 with chamber 48, which in turn is adapted to be placed in communication with the liquid supply tank through connection 44, and is also adapted to be placed in. communication with collection cham- Section 42 is in direct communication with chamber 33, as shown I in Fig. III. The pump 8 is mounted in theposition shown in full line in Fig. I, and in dot-dash lines in FigL'IH; and when the pump is in operation, it actsto draw liquid from the supply tank through connection 44, port 45, to chamber 4| and into the pump, from which the liquid is forced into space 42 and thence through chambers 33, 34, and 35 successively. Above chamber 35 there is a recessed portion 48 through the bottom of which there is threaded connection 48 of the line leading to the meter H, as shown in Fig. I. 29 Within collection chamber 38 there is a. float 50 mounted for vertical movement and connected through lever mechanism 5| to open valve 52 when the float rises. The valve 52 is attached to the short arm of the lever and the float 50 is attached to the long arm of the lever. When valve 52 is open, liquid within the collection chamber 38 drains through passageway 41 to chamber 46, from whence it passes through port 45 to the suction side of the pump 8. As gasoline is forced through the chambers 33,

- 34, and successively, air in the gasoline separates therefrom in such chambers and leaves the chambers through the air outlet plugs 33, 34, and 35*. Through passageway 33, 34, and 35, the escaping air is conducted to the top of collection chamber 38, from whence the air passes out through pipe 56 to whistle 51 Fig. I). Any gasoline which may escape through the plugs 33, etc. falls into collection chamber 38; and when suflicient gasoline has collected in chamber 38, float rises and permits the gasoline to discharge from the bottom of chamber 38 through passageway 41 to the intake side of the pump 8.

' I have found that the separation of the air 13 from the gasoline in chambers 33, 34, and 35 is improved'if a slight pressure is maintained within such chambers during the operation of the device. For this purpose, there is provided valve l2, shown in detail in Fig. VIII, which imposes a. 59 retarding influence 'upon the gasoline as it leaves the separator 4. The valve l2 comprises a weighted valve element 60 which seats by gravity against a seat 5|, so that the gasoline in passing from the separator 4 to the meter I 4 must raise the valve 68 against the force of gravity. Thus the valve is automatically opened by the flow of gasoline, but acts to place a predetermined retarding effect on the flow and thus maintain a pressure within the'chambers 33. 34, and 35 while 60 the gasoline is flowing. When the pump is standing idle, an increase of temperature may expand the gasoline within the ,hose I1; and to-prevent .this from building up an undesirably high pressure in the hose, relief is provided through a reverse acting valve associated with valve element 80. In the center of element 60 there is a port 54 normally closed by spring pressed valve element 85. However, when the pump is standing idle with valve 60 closed, the building up of a pressure 9 in hose I! will cause valve element 55 to open. and. relieve the pressure byallowing gasoline to flow from the hose to separator 4, which is open to the atmosphere through whistle 51.

It will be noted that the airis eliminated from the gasoline before it is metered, and hence air present in the gasoline does not cause short measure to be delivered to the consumer. If the foot valve in the supply tank leaks, suction conduit ll (Fig. I) will drain while the pump is standing idle; and when the pump is started, this conduit full of air will have to be pumped out and eliminated before gasoline .is delivered. Whistle 51,

of course, apprises the operator whenever air'is being eliminated; and in the case of a lealw toot valve, the whistle will blow for a short time-when'- ever'the pump is first started after having -been idle for quite aninterval. Thereafter during the continuous operation of the pump, there will be no air to eliminate and hence the whistle will be silent. Thus, by the fact that the whistle blows tora time and then stops while the operation or the pumpis continued, the operator will be advised of the !act that the air being eliminated was due to .an initially empty conduit Ii or, in other words, to a leaky toot-valve. However, supposethat there is an air leak into line ll so that air is continuously drawn into the line during the pumping of gasoline. In this'case, air'will be eliminated as long. as the pumping is continued. and thus the whistle 51 will operate continuously during the pumping operation. This will apprise .the operator that the difilculty is due to' an air leak into line ll.

'would be danger of the gasoline working to whistle 51; but with applicants system the motoris automatically startedand stopped in response toopening and closing 'the' dispensing valve ll and hence the danger of gasoline reaching whistle I through circulation oi' the gasoline while it is not being dispensed is eliminated. Furthermore,

applicant provides collection chamber 8| to-colarator, to the dispensing conduit, an air oi. saldair discharge conduit.

leet any gasoline which may pass through the air discharge ports ai, etc. This collection chamber 38 is connected to be automatically emptied through the suction from pump 8 ,whenever the pump is in'operation; and the port closed 5 by valve 52, passageway 41, etc. are each of greater area than the sum 01' the discharge areas 01 plugs 33, etc. Hence, it is impossible for col lection chamber 38 to 1111 with gasoline and permit the gasoline to be forced out through the whistle ll.

The present invention may, of course, be embodied informs other than the oneparticularly disclosed and hence the foregoing disclosure is merely illustrative in compliance with the patent statutes and is not to be considered as limiting the scope or the claims.

What is claimed is: l

1. A liquid dispensing system comprising a supply tank; an air separator; a dispensingcdn- 2o duit; means to induce liquid flow from the supply tank, through the air separator, to the dispensing conduit; and means to indicate the separation of air from the liquid in the air separator.

2. A 'liquiddispensing system comprising: a supply tank; an air separator; a dispensing conduit; means to induce liquid flow from the supply I tank, through the air separator, to the dispensing conduit; and an audible signal automatically operable whenhair is-being separated from the 80 liquid in the air separator.

3. A liquid .dispensing system comprising: a

- supply tank; an air separatcrhaving an air discharge port; a dispensing conduit; means to pump liquid from the supply tank, through the 85 air separator, to the dispensing conduit; and a signal operable by air escapmg through said discharge port.j 4:. A liquid dispensing system comprising: a supply tank; an air separator having an air dis- 40 charge port; a dispensing conduit; means to pump liquid from thesupply tank, through the airfiq disch e conduit connected to said port, said conduit extending upwardly to a level substantially higher than said air separator; and a whistle on the and 1), mean. 

